A New Beginning
by MargaretFullerSlack
Summary: What happens when Chris all of a sudden reappear in Santa Monica? Story written about ten years ago, shortly after the first time I saw S.N.A.F.U


A new beginning

It had been four weeks since he started his program, and he was doing quite well – he even thought so himself. He had been clean for the whole month, and wouldn't even take an aspirin if he had a headache. His main motivation was Chris. She had been down here two weeks ago to check up on him, and they had – just as the time she was visiting after he got out of the hospital – ended up in bed together. Maybe he was fooling himself, or maybe there actually was hope for them if he managed to stay clean. He knew that she cared about him, she might even still love him, he thought – he hoped. Her phone calls ad become more frequent over the past four weeks, which might be a sign. But it could of course also be just out of concern for him. He still had two more months of rehabilitation, and who knows what would happen next. To him, to her, to everybody – right now he just had to take one day and one step at the time and hope for the best.

The doctor entered the room again and threw the file he was carrying over at the desk.

-Well, T.C. You're doing great. Actually a lot better than I had expected when I first started working with you – you were really far down a month ago, but now I do believe that your chances for full recovery are really good.

-Thank you, sir. T.C. answered. He was really happy to hear the good news that he felt like calling Chris right away and tell her, she would be happy too.

He tried to call her when he got back to the house but only got her machine. Well, he thought, it is Friday night, so maybe she has gone out or something. So he hung up, grabbed his surf board and left the house to go and slide a few waves, he could always try to call back again in a few hours or the next morning.

Surfing in the sunset always calmed him down, and today he was in such good mood that nothing could stop him. He was so far into his own world that he didn't notice the woman who just walked onto the beach and sat down in the sand watching him. He just continued surfing and thinking of the good prospect his doctor had given him that day.

Chris just sat there on the beach watching him surf as she had done so many times before – back in the days when they had still been married. Seeing him like this made her wonder why she had ever left him, wondering why she hadn't been willing to fight for their marriage.

Her chief had given her the whole weekend off, and her first thought had been to catch the first plain to Los Angeles to visit T.C. and see how he was doing. Maybe if she had never left for Virginia he wouldn't be going through what he was going through right now. A jolt of guilt shot through her body – she could have saved him from all this trouble.

T.C. got out of the water and saw her sitting there looking at him. He didn't know that she would be here – a pleasant surprise he thought to him self. He beamed at her – he was s happy to see her!  
-Hi! I didn't know that you were in town. He said, a smile appeared on his lips and she got up to great him with a hug that made all her clothes wet.

-I got the weekend off, and I thought I could come here. How are you doing?

-I'm great, actually. He held her at a short arms length just looking at her,

-My doctor gave me some really good news after my drug test today. He continued happy to be able to tell her this in person.

-T.C.! That's great! She exclaimed and hugged him once more, not caring about her already wet clothes getting soaked.

-I'm so proud of you! She said when she let loose.

He took his surfboard under his left arm and they started walking back up to the house. T.C. asked Chris about her work and life in Virginia, and she answered. He could tell by the tone in her voice that she enjoyed the work she was doing, but that she wasn't really happy.

-So everything is fine up there? He knew her well enough to know how to get a confession out of her.

-Well, yeah. It's OK. She said. The best thing is that I'm a lot closer to my parents now, I mean; I can go and visit them whenever I want without spending too much time travelling.

-So when you have a weekend off you rather spend hours on a plane travelling through three time zones to come here? He laughed.

-Euhm, yeah, basically. She laughed too and grabbed his hand. They smiled at each other and walking hand-in-hand in silence the last few yards up to their house – where he was living alone now.

It felt so good to be holding her hand; it was tiny, warm and soft just like he remembered it to be. He felt something else too; a cold band around her fourth finger – was she wearing her wedding ring again? The two last times she had been here, she hadn't been wearing it, but now he felt it. He would have to see it to be sure, but he was almost sure, but it could also just be any other ring?

-What are you thinking about? He asked as he put the key in the lock.

-Us. She let out a little laugh. I was just remembering how I used to go and look for you at the beach whenever you weren't home and that we always would walk home like this. She smiled at the good memories.

-Do you want me to open a bottle while you take a shower? She asked as they got inside. It had been their little ritual; T.C. would go and take a shower to wash off all the salt water and Chris would open a bottle and wait for him to come and join her, but she would get tired of waiting and go and join him instead. He took a chance, just like he had done two years earlier when he had cancelled her date with that other guy and showed up instead. He knew she was worth it, so he took his chance and said:

-Why don't you just forget about the bottle and come and join me right away?

She went closer to him, touched his right arm with her left hand – he could see the ring on her finger now.

-Why don't you just forget about that shower and bring me directly to heaven?

Their eyes met, they smiled at each other and T.C. bent down and kissed Chris passionately on the lips. She pulled him closer and put both her arms around his neck, playing with his still wet hair. He lifted her up and carried her into the bedroom, putting her gently down on the bed and undressing her before they made love – it was like nothing they'd ever felt before.

The next morning Chris woke up with her head still on T.C.'s chest and his arms close around her.

-I'm glad you're not storming out of here full of regret like you did the first time. He said and kissed her head.

-The only thing I regret about our relationship is how it ended.

-It's not beyond repair. He said matter-of-factly

-Except that I work in Virginia now, and you don't work at all.

-If I get my job back after all this I'll probably be degraded but that doesn't matter as long as I have you. It was the truth; he really didn't care what he was doing as long as he had Chris next to him. He might even join the family business in Newport if it meant staying with her – but luckily that was the last thing she wanted him to do.

-Actually I've already asked for a transfer to the L.A office, she said looking him in the eyes.

-So you're coming back?! He couldn't hide his excitement.

-If you still want me.

He didn't answer, just pulled her closer to him again, kissed the top of her head before tilting her head a bit so he could kiss her lips too. He gently stroke her naked body before turning them both around so that he once again was on the top of her.

Of course he still wanted her.


End file.
